Naruto OneShots
by Jaygrl22
Summary: A collection of one-shots involving my Naruto OCs from a story I plan on writing. Each chapter has a fully capitalized prompt in the beginning of the story. Cannon characters will be paired with both OCs and other cannon characters. Lengths will vary, but will mostly be rather short.
1. His Thoughts

THE MINGLED SQUAWKS OF CROWS FLYING OVERHEAD WRENCHED HIM FROM HIS THOUGHTS.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, all thoughts of the girl vanished back into mere memory. He had thought about her long and hard since his journey had began. Though she was not the only one. A few others often enter his mind, but never so suddenly. Never without warning or quite so often.

To be honest, he wasn't even sure why he had started to think about her so much. One day, after a particularly embarrassing screw up, she just popped into his mind, laughing. She was always laughing in his mind, or at least smiling. Though it wasn't her regular, vicious smile; openly proclaiming her sadistic nature. No, no. It was a softer, sweeter type of smile. The one he had barely recognized her with when she wore it. If she wore it. It was there and gone in a moment's notice. Like an elusive treasure from a far off fairy-tale.

The young man smiled to himself. Perhaps that was why he liked that smile. In real life, it was small, rare, and fleeting. But in his mind it could always be there, always be kind, and all because of him. Because he was the only one who knew how to unearth the dazzling gem from the shadowy depths. In his mind he could be selfish and the smile could be entirely for him. _Only_ for him. And no one else could come close to giving her that smile. He liked that idea.

[Naruto]


	2. Be Happy

"I AM NOT GOING TO BE YOUR EXCUSE NOT TO BE HAPPY ANYMORE."

* * *

She said walking away. He... He honestly... _Honestly_, didn't think she would have done something like that. Yes. It was true. They were hardly a good match at all. They fought long and hard and often. They had both realized early on that, Hey, this might not work out as well as we thought it would.

It was inevitable, because Jani wasn't the type of girl to waste precious time on something she knew she couldn't fix. It was inevitable, because he thought the whole thing was too troublesome to ever be bothered. Because she didn't really care either way. Because he was in love with somebody else. Because she wasn't stupid and knew he would never love her they way he loved _her_.

It was, in the simplest of terms, impossible to avoid. Shikamaru had always known that; they both had. He just didn't think it would have ended so soon.

[Shikamaru]


	3. She Didn't Wait

SHE DIDN'T WAIT FOR AN ANSWER.

* * *

She pulled him aside, set things straight, and walked away. Just like that. That's all it took. Simple, clean, easy. The illusion of cold and heartless to hide the splitting pain in her chest.

It was time, she had told herself. She was sick of being his reason for complaining and whining. Sick of all the fighting. Sick of his no-good lazy attitude. Of their highs being far outweighed by their lows. Of the way he would flirt with that blonde chick from Suna. Then come crawling back once she was gone. Acting like he had done nothing wrong. She was sick of him not being happy and pinning the blame on her.

She hadn't loved him. Not really. But they had shared something. Something she would never be able to get back. They held moments and memories that were impossible to forget. Secrets they would take to the grave. Every step was a step closer to tears.

Just a little longer, she told the sting in her eyes. Just a little longer, as she snuck passed the crowds. Just a little longer, she told her heavy limbs. Just a little longer, as she made her way to the house. Just a little longer, she told the numbness in her skin. Just a little bit longer, as she climbed the stairs up to her room.

She emit a heart crushing scream into the pillow. Thrashing and cursing and crying and screaming bloody murder. It hurt. It fucking hurt. It hurt more than she thought. More than she had anticipated. More that any cut or bruise or burn. Her heart. Oh, God, did it** hurt**.

Water down her face, flowing on her cheeks, she looked to the blade on her dresser. She couldn't stop the pain on the inside. So. Why not cause more to the outside..?

[Jani]


	4. Sew a Button

"SHE CAN BARELY SEW A BUTTON!"

* * *

That's really the first thing I can remember Mrs. Hanahara saying about me. She was complaining to her sister over the phone. She had never wanted children. Let alone be the legal guardian of some amnesiac. But her husband had wanted an heir so she gave in. Really, he wanted a son, but all he would ever say was that he wanted a "well-behaved child he would be proud to leave his legacy to". I remember feeling bad for their daughter.

With people like these for parents, it was no wonder the poor girl barely had a personality. Everything was the ''traditional" or "proper" way with her. She tried so hard to make them proud. Studied hard, never spoke out of term. She tried so hard to have a family. To be perfect.

I shook my head, a fruitless effort.

I didn't want a family. Not this one or any other. I didn't want their praise or approval. I hardly wanted to be in the same house. I didn't care what they thought.

But I was not incompetent or useless and I would not be spoken of as if I was. So I picked up a needle and thread and pricked my little girl skin. If my guardians wanted to complain or hate me, then it wouldn't be for nothing. I would give them a reason.

And I would prove them wrong. I would always prove them wrong. Starting with this button.

[Jani]


	5. He's No Hero

"I'M NOT SAYING HE'S A BAD GUY, BUT HE'S NO HERO."

* * *

She clarified, nudging him down the stairway. Naruto clenched his fists, still resisting.

"How can you say that? You don't even know him!"

"I know him plenty. My technique deals with the perception of the individual's reality. I may not know him personally, but I know him psychologically." She looked down. "And that's why I decided to stop training with him."

"Huh?" Jani finally stopped shoving the orange knucklehead. Even when he turned around to face her, she avoided his gaze.

"He's messed up, I could've told you that based on the stories _alone_. But, like Sana said, my training is just controlled torture." She sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "I think I might have made him..." She paused, eyes in a haze.

"Made him _what?_"

"_Different._"

"Different _how?_"

"_Hm._"

Naruto pouted at the vague answer. Her eyes were glazed over with memories her tongue wasn't sharing.

"What kinda answer is that?!" He shouted, causing Jani to jump. She stared at him with shock for a moment before pulling scowl.

"My decision is final. Keep it up and it'll be double final, ya!"

"Can't you at least tell me why?!"

"I just did, you yellow headed idiot! Pay attention!"

"No you didn't! And you're yellow haired, too!"

"It's gold, moron!" Jani bit back in rage and rubbed her temples. This was nothing to lose her temper over. She's stared at the shinobi in front of her with irritation. This wouldn't be over quite so easily as she had thought. The fire in his eyes, confirmed it.

"Can't you just accept the fact that I don't want to train you? It's not like I'm going after the title of Hokage, hm. Besides, if I were to fight you without any aid from my Dark Matter you'd probably beat me hands down. Can't you be happy with that?"

"No way!" Had it been anyone else, Jani might have slapped them. But she was too shocked to actually move. "I can't be happy with that, because that would never happen. There's no way you'd ever fight me or anyone else _seriously_ without your shadow stuff. Even if you did, you wouldn't be going all out. So it wouldn't even be a real fight!"

"But... You'd beat me... Didn't you hear that?" Jani asked with such naive incomprehension that it left a bad taste in her mouth.

"It wouldn't matter. If I can't fight you fair and square, then I won't fight you at all." He said putting his hands behind his head.

His morality was staggering to the girl so often proclaimed heartless.

In her mind, a win was a win no matter how vicious the tactics. You won battles by defeating your opponent whatever way necessary, honorable or not. It's a dog eat dog world, right? If you kill someone in their sleep or with their back turned, it didn't matter that it was low, because you completed your mission. That's how the world works. Kill or be killed applied to everyone.

But, no. Not everyone worked like that. This boy certainly didn't. She would even dare to say that he _couldn't_ do such a thing. He'd probably jump out in front of the person, or wake them up. Give them a fair, fighting chance.

That shocked her. It shocked her straight down to the core. To think that such a person- a_ shinobi_ no less- could function and continuously exist in this world.

Perhaps he was crazy, she ventured. Jani _knew_ crazy. She was a master of insanity, after all; The Walking Nightmare. Except, she_ knew_ crazy and therefore also knew_ not crazy_. Naruto was a little delusional, maybe, and probably a dead man, but definitely not crazy.

Jani slowly began blinking out of her awestruck state and back into reality.

"You're... gonna get killed with that kind of mentality." She said finally, still feeling uneasy. He gave her a big, goofy grin. "And that's why I won't train you."

"**_WHAT!?_** What's that mean!? That doesn't make any-" Jani draped her arms over his shoulders and lay her forehead on his. An easy feat, considering she was a step higher than him on the stairs. This wasn't an act of affection, however. In fact, to onlookers, she appeared to be readying to devour his soul. Most would, wisely, not put it past her.

"I don't train. I _torture_. Do you know what happens to people when they're tortured, Naruto? They_ change._ They turn into someone else; some_thing _else. And some people never come back. Some are still stuck in whatever nightmare I made for them, however long ago."

The sickening amount of satisfaction in her voice kept Naruto's mouth shut, and Jani noticed the slight flicker of fear. Her steel eyes gave way to a sadistic sense of pleasure, but she pushed that as far back as she could. Taking in a large breath, she tried to regain her humanity- if only to get her point across.

"I don't want to train you, because I like the way you are. You're loud and an idiot, yes, but you're such a selfless, trusting, hardworking idiot, that if I were to change you... I would never forgive myself."

Naruto was so focused on her words that he hadn't realized her release of him. He registered what had happened as she was nearing the top step.

"Hey, wait!" Jani paused and looked back. "Right now, I'm just a Genin. A nobody. I still have a lot of work to do before I become Hokage... But I want you to help me." Jani twitched, and turned to shout at him.

"I just said-"

"I know. You don't want to train me cause you think you'll make me into something else. And, I dunno, maybe you might. But I still wanna fight you someday. See how strong you are, and see how much stronger I have to become to be the strongest. No matter what, I will be the strongest and I _will _become Hokage! Believe it!"

Jani couldn't resist a small laugh. "Do you plan on fighting everyone in the Fire Country, just to prove you're the best?"

"YEP!" He shouted and started roaring with laughter. Jani didn't get the joke, she wasn't even sure there was a joke to get, but she chuckled along with him anyway. Just because he wasn't crazy didn't make him any less insane.

[Jani]


	6. Extreme Borrowing

"DON'T THINK OF IT AS 'STEALING', THINK OF IT AS 'EXTREME BORROWING'."

* * *

She could feel Sana's disapproving stare. Jani chose to ignore it, and focused instead on the food in front of her.

"That doesn't make it any less _wrong_, Jani-chan."

"Doesn't make me any more _caring_, Wolfy. Believe it or not, I'm human, too. So I gotta eat, same as you." Luka took this moment to look at Jani's small collection of morsels, far more used to her behavior than Sana would probably ever be.

"I'll trade you my sour apple for that gummy pack."

"Now you're talking!" Jani swiped the apple and tossed her the snack.

"Luka-Chan, not you, too!" Sana cried out in exasperation.

"Jani-kun has always been like this, Sana-san. She's as stubborn as an untrained horse. I've given up trying to tame her."

"Yeah! So don't bother!" Jani laughed before taking a bite.

Sana crossed her arms and huffed. "Well I for one do not condone this type of behavior."

"Congrats, you live on a higher moral ground than me. You want a cookie or something?"

[Jani]


	7. Everything He Hated

SHE WAS THE EPITOME OF EVERYTHING HE HATED.

* * *

Cruel. Violent. Vengeful. Rude. Sadistic. He rarely liked people with even _one_ of those traits. _She_ had them _all_.

She wasn't only those things. Sure, they defined her better than anything else, but Jani had other traits as well. She was likable. Strong. Hardworking. Brave. Humorous. Accepting. Pretty.

It was difficult, but she was lovable, too. Caring. Reliable. Steady. Childish. Giddy. Wild. Tricky. Beautiful.

But _always_ difficult, because she only ever felt comfortable showing off the side he hated. Cruel, sarcastic, vicious, and so on. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had found a way to see through all that. He found the parts he liked, and loved. Buried so deep in her steel grey eyes.

Strange enough, it hurt to think about. The person he wanted to be happiest was only happy when causing others discomfort or pain. That wasn't the life he wanted for her. He wanted her to smile. Everyday, just for the hell of it. Because of something she saw, or he said, or they did, or anything. And it would be a real smile, too. Enough of that fake smirk or sadistic grin.

And she wouldn't hurt herself anymore. She would stop wearing long sleeves or wrist-covering gloves. Because she'd be happy. And she'd know she was the most beautiful thing in the world. To him.

He had told her once, when they were younger. That she was beautiful, amazing, and other wonderful things. He had not meant it in a romantic sense, but it still broke his heart. Because she laughed. She laughed really hard until she couldn't breathe, and then she started to cry. And cried, and cried, and cried. And every time he tried to console her, she shoved him away, trying to laugh. Trying to show him that she was okay. That she didn't need his help. Only to cry harder than before.

Years later, he still didn't know which was worse: not being able to help her or knowing that she would never let him.

[Naruto]


	8. Pop!

"WOULD YOU STOP MAKING THAT NOISE?"

* * *

"What noise?" Jani asked innocently.

"You know what noise."

"No idea what you're talking 'bout, Luka. Your hearing going down South?"

The blue haired girl stared at the smiling blonde before sighing and returning to her work. Less than a minute later, an incessantly loud**_pop!_** resounded throughout the kitchen. Luka slammed her fist down on the table, glaring at her frightened looking teammate. But looks weren't everything. If Luka had learned one thing about Jani Marie in her entirety of knowing her, it was that Jani Marie was the most talented liar under the sun.

"Jani," she said slowly. "Stop. This paperwork is _very important_. I cannot mess up."

"Oh, but you can," the blonde gave a slick grin as Luka resumed her work. "After all, you _are_ human. _Aren't you?_"

The younger girl ignored her, trying to focus on the words in front of her.

"'Course you are," Jani answered herself, ever resourceful. "Your folks may not like it, but you certainly _can_ make mistakes. You can be just as rude and uncultured as anybody else."

"Shut up, Jani."

The older girl threw her head back in laughter. "You see? Was that so bad?" She frowned at the empty silence encasing them once again. Jani hooked her forefinger to the inside of her cheek. A**_ pop!_** echoed once she pulled the finger out and Luka screamed in exasperation before throwing her head onto the table.

"Why _me?_" she whined into the wood. Another **_pop!_** consoled her.

[Luka & Jani]


End file.
